Fashion 'ridicules' women, claims designer

DESIGNED TO SUIT: Valentino, pictured with Sarah Jessica Parker in one of his designs.

He's dressed some of the world's most famous women, but Valentino thinks too many designers "ridicule" women and make them "fashion victims".

The Italian designer has criticised his fashion colleagues, claiming they create pieces that don't flatter the female form.

"There is a time to show the legs and to show the cleavage, but it's about the cut. Clothes should not ridicule a woman; should not make them a fashion victim," he told Marie Claire UK.

"What happens too much in fashion today is that designers design for themselves. I always designed for women."

Despite a dire economic forecast, Valentino said one-off garments and couture are now more in demand than ever.

"Fashion has become so mass market, with copies [of designer items] in every department store - maybe that's why there is an interest in something that is unique and difficult to get," he said. "When I started, couture was only for women of a certain age or who had money but, now, all the Hollywood actresses want is couture, couture, couture."